Electrodermal activity of professional pianists -Sympathetic arousal in piano performance-

The purpose of this study is to research sympathetic arousal of professional pianists during musical performance. We measured the electrodermal activities of professional pianists who were performing both an original and an arranged score of the same piece of music by attaching electrodes to their left feet. For the data analysis, normalized skin resistance change per beat was used to analyze the electrodermal activities of the pianists originally. We could show a change in electrodermal activities at the onset of the music and at the motif of the music. Comparing the two performance conditions, we could show significant changes in electrodermal activity in dynamic arranged sections and octave up sections. The sympathetic arousal of the pianists changed dynamically in accordance with musical structure

Water quality evaluation of “Tokiwa No Meisui” by mineral balance

The production of various mineral waters has steadily increased in contemporary society. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of one variety of mineral water “Tokiwa No Meisui” produced in Ina-city, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Three different kinds of water were analyzed by the objective index of drinking water mineral valance: raw “Tokiwa No Meisui” water, PET bottled “Tokiwa No Meisui” water and city water in Ina City. To evaluate water quality objectively, we quantified the elements contained in the water samples. Samples were assessed not by the usual sensory evaluation but with the evaluation approach advocated by Hashimoto et al. which employs the Water Index of Taste （O-Index） and Water Index of Health （K-Index）．These three varieties were also compared in terms of the “Prerequisites for Tasty Water” and the “Standards for Tasty Water” devised for city water by the “Tasty Water Research Association” of the former Japanese Health and Welfare Ministry. The raw water and PET bottled water for Tokiwa No Meisui showed an O-index of OI ≧2.0 and KI ≧5.2, which we classified as tasty/healthy water. The tap water from Ina-city can be classified as tasty water due to its values of OI ≧2.0 and KI< 5.2. In general, the raw water and PET bottled water of Tokiwa No Meisui met the “Standard for Tasty Water” and “Prerequisites for Tasty Water”．In recent years, Tokiwa No Meisui has consistently been awarded prizes such as the Monde Selection Gold Award and the Superior Taste Award（iTQi） based on sensory evaluation. In this study, we showed that “Tokiwa No Meisui” is a delicious （and healthy） variety of mineral water through an objective index to evaluate the mineral balance of drinking water. In conclusion,“ Tokiwa No Meisui” was evaluated as good water to drink

EGUIDE project and treatment guidelines

Background Clinical practice guidelines for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder have been published. However, these have not had sufficient penetration in clinical settings. We developed the Effectiveness of Guidelines for Dissemination and Education in Psychiatric Treatment (EGUIDE) project as a dissemination and education programme for psychiatrists. Aims The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the EGUIDE project on the subjective clinical behaviour of psychiatrists in accordance with clinical practice guidelines before and 1 and 2 years after participation in the programmes. Method A total of 607 psychiatrists participated in this study during October 2016 and March 2019. They attended both 1-day educational programmes based on the clinical practice guidelines for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder, and answered web questionnaires about their clinical behaviours before and 1 and 2 years after attending the programmes. We evaluated the changes in clinical behaviours in accordance with the clinical practice guidelines between before and 2 years after the programme. Results All of the scores for clinical behaviours in accordance with clinical practice guidelines were significantly improved after 1 and 2 years compared with before attending the programmes. There were no significant changes in any of the scores between 1 and 2 years after attending. Conclusions All clinical behaviours in accordance with clinical practice guidelines improved after attending the EGUIDE programme, and were maintained for at least 2 years. The EGUIDE project could contribute to improved guideline-based clinical behaviour among psychiatrists

EGUIDE project and treatment guidelines

Aim: Although treatment guidelines for pharmacological therapy for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder have been issued by the Japanese Societies of Neuropsychopharmacology and Mood Disorders, these guidelines have not been well applied by psychiatrists throughout the nation. To address this issue, we developed the ‘Effectiveness of Guidelines for Dissemination and Education in Psychiatric Treatment (EGUIDE)’ integrated education programs for psychiatrists to disseminate the clinical guidelines. Additionally, we conducted a systematic efficacy evaluation of the programs. Methods: Four hundred thirteen out of 461 psychiatrists attended two 1‐day educational programs based on the treatment guidelines for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder from October 2016 to March 2018. We measured the participants’ clinical knowledge of the treatment guidelines using self‐completed questionnaires administered before and after the program to assess the effectiveness of the programs for improving knowledge. We also examined the relation between the participants’ demographics and their clinical knowledge scores. Results: The clinical knowledge scores for both guidelines were significantly improved after the program. There was no correlation between clinical knowledge and participant demographics for the program on schizophrenia; however, a weak positive correlation was found between clinical knowledge and the years of professional experience for the program on major depressive disorder. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that educational programs on the clinical practices recommended in guidelines for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder might effectively improve participants’ clinical knowledge of the guidelines. These data are encouraging to facilitate the standardization of clinical practices for psychiatric disorders

Hypnotic medication use among inpatients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder: results of a nationwide study

[Study objectives] To investigate the proportion of inpatients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder prescribed hypnotic medication, and the association between such medication and the use of other antipsychotic agents. [Methods] This was a nationwide cross-sectional study performed as part of the ‘Effectiveness of Guidelines for Dissemination and Education in Psychiatric Treatment’ (EGUIDE) project. Data from 2146 inpatients with schizophrenia and 1031 inpatients with major depressive disorder were analyzed. All types and dosages of psychotropic drugs were recorded and the data at the time of discharge were analyzed. Associations between the use of hypnotic medication and other antipsychotic agents were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analyses. [Results] The proportions of schizophrenia patients who were prescribed any and two or more hypnotic agents were 55.7% and 17.6%, respectively, and the corresponding proportions for patients with major depressive disorder were 63.6% and 22.6%, respectively. In schizophrenia patients, multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that two or more antipsychotics, anticholinergic drugs, anxiolytics, and mood stabilizers/antiepileptic drugs were positively associated with the use of any hypnotic agent. In patients with major depressive disorder, multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that two or more antidepressants, two or more antipsychotics, anxiolytics, and mood stabilizers/antiepileptic drugs were positively associated with the use of any hypnotic agent. [Conclusions] Prescription of hypnotic agents was found to be highly frequent among inpatients with psychiatric disorders. Prescription of two or more main antipsychotic agents was commonly associated with the use of hypnotic medication for both schizophrenia and major depressive disorder

Prescription patterns in patients with schizophrenia in Japan: First‐quality indicator data from the survey of “Effectiveness of Guidelines for Dissemination and Education in psychiatric treatment (EGUIDE)” project

Abstract Background Guideline for Pharmacological Therapy for Schizophrenia was published by the Japanese Society of Neuropsychopharmacology in 2015. “Effectiveness of Guidelines for Dissemination and Education in psychiatric treatment (EGUIDE)” project aimed to standardize medical practice using quality indicators (QIs) as indices to evaluate the quality of medical practice. In this study, we have reported the quality indicator values of prescription before the beginning of the guideline lectures in the EGUIDE project to ascertain the baseline status of treating patients with schizophrenia. Methods A cross‐sectional, retrospective case record survey was conducted, involving 1164 patients with schizophrenia at the time of discharge. We checked all types and dosage of psychotropic drugs. Results Forty‐three percent of patients had antipsychotic polypharmacy, and substantial concomitant medication was observed (antidepressants; 8%, mood stabilizers: 37%, anxiolytics or hypnotics: 68%). Conclusions In the results obtained in this study, we plant to report changes in the effectiveness of education in the EGUIDE project near the future

The characteristics of discharge prescriptions including pro re nata psychotropic medications for patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder from the survey of the “Effectiveness of guidelines for dissemination and education in psychiatric treatment (EGUIDE)” project

Abstract Background Several guidelines recommend monotherapy in pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. The content of regular prescriptions has been reported in several studies, but not enough research has been conducted on the content of pharmacotherapy, including pro re nata (PRN) medications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the content of pharmacotherapy, including PRN medications, and to clarify the relationship with regular prescriptions. Methods We used data from the “Effectiveness of Guidelines for Dissemination And Education in psychiatric treatment” (EGUIDE) project to investigate the presence or absence of PRN psychotropic medications at discharge for each drug category. We compared the PRN psychotropic prescription ratio at discharge by diagnosis for each drug category. The antipsychotic monotherapy ratio and no prescription ratio of other psychotropics for schizophrenia at discharge and the antidepressant monotherapy ratio and no prescription ratio of other psychotropics for major depressive disorder at discharge were calculated for each regular prescription, including PRN psychotropic medications, as quality indicators (QIs). Spearman's rank correlation test was performed for QI values of regular prescriptions and the QI ratio between regular prescriptions and prescriptions including PRN medications for each diagnosis. Results The PRN psychotropic prescription ratio at discharge was 28.7% for schizophrenia and 30.4% for major depressive disorder, with no significant differences by diagnosis. The prescription ratios of PRN antipsychotic medications and PRN antiparkinsonian medications were significantly higher for schizophrenia. The prescription ratios of PRN anxiolytic and hypnotic and PRN antidepressant medications were significantly higher for patients with major depressive disorder. For both schizophrenia and major depressive disorder, the QI was lower for discharge prescriptions, including PRN medications, than for regular prescriptions. QI values for regular prescriptions and the QI ratio were positively correlated. Conclusions Considering PRN psychotropic medications, the monotherapy ratio and no prescription ratio of other psychotropics at discharge decreased in pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. A higher ratio of monotherapy and no prescription of other psychotropics on regular prescriptions may result in less concomitant use of PRN psychotropic medications. Further studies are needed to optimize PRN psychotropic prescriptions